An unforgettable debut for Rogério Lourenço
Coach praises team's tactical discipline and leaves Maracanã with memories to last a lifetime
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
The time spent working was short, but the results on the field were enormous: a 1-0 victory, a man down from the first half, over the team with the best record in the group stage of the Copa Santander Libertadores. Rogério Lourenço's debut as Flamengo's first-team coach couldn't have gone better. And he knows it.
Excited and happy with the result, Rogério, a former club player, couldn't hide his satisfaction at having fulfilled what was expected of him in this first game of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16. Despite this, he remains grounded and is already thinking about the return leg.
"There's no other way to describe this debut. It was very good. We beat Corinthians, with a full house and a man down. Around the 35th minute of the second half, a movie played in my head. I remembered my playing days, and it was a special moment for me. I'll enjoy it and remember it forever. But I'm down to earth, and on Friday we'll start working on the return leg," said the coach.
For the red-black commander, the match ended up being even more complicated than expected, especially due to Michael's expulsion.
"The game was more complicated than we expected, but Corinthians is one of the best teams in the Americas. The rain made the first half very competitive. I think the team played too much on the left and not enough on the right, but in the locker room we talked and were successful with our strategy," he explained.
Rogério also praised his team's tactical discipline, which he said was a key factor in the victory.
"Today's victory deserves the credit for all the players, who were spectacular in their fighting spirit on the field. They were true warriors, faithfully delivering on their instructions, and achieved the result. Flamengo had been playing very aggressively against their opponents, and today we decided we had to position ourselves to take advantage of our strength, which is counter-attacking. It worked, and I have nothing but praise for everyone's dedication," he added.
The red-black squad will return on Friday, at 15:30 pm, at CT Ninho do Urubu, in Vargem Grande.
Excited and happy with the result, Rogério, a former club player, couldn't hide his satisfaction at having fulfilled what was expected of him in this first game of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16. Despite this, he remains grounded and is already thinking about the return leg.
"There's no other way to describe this debut. It was very good. We beat Corinthians, with a full house and a man down. Around the 35th minute of the second half, a movie played in my head. I remembered my playing days, and it was a special moment for me. I'll enjoy it and remember it forever. But I'm down to earth, and on Friday we'll start working on the return leg," said the coach.
For the red-black commander, the match ended up being even more complicated than expected, especially due to Michael's expulsion.
"The game was more complicated than we expected, but Corinthians is one of the best teams in the Americas. The rain made the first half very competitive. I think the team played too much on the left and not enough on the right, but in the locker room we talked and were successful with our strategy," he explained.
Rogério also praised his team's tactical discipline, which he said was a key factor in the victory.
"Today's victory deserves the credit for all the players, who were spectacular in their fighting spirit on the field. They were true warriors, faithfully delivering on their instructions, and achieved the result. Flamengo had been playing very aggressively against their opponents, and today we decided we had to position ourselves to take advantage of our strength, which is counter-attacking. It worked, and I have nothing but praise for everyone's dedication," he added.
The red-black squad will return on Friday, at 15:30 pm, at CT Ninho do Urubu, in Vargem Grande.